The Texas roster is loaded with blue-chip athletes at every position - however K-State coach Ron Prince said he was especially worried about the Big 12 Conference's leading rusher, Jamaal Charles. Charles, who has 85 rushing attempts for 471 yards and six touchdowns, is averaging 117 yards per game.
"He's a pro in every sense of the word," Prince said. "He's a dynamic runner. He has no problem catching the ball, blocking out of the backfield, those kinds of things.
"He's right now probably the most dynamic runner in the league and the kind of guy you can plan a game around, so I'm very concerned about him."
Prince also said Texas is not lacking in the passing game. The Longhorns are led by senior Limas Sweed, who has 15 receptions this season for 267 yards and three touchdowns. However, he is not the only threat in the receiving corps. Senior Nate Jones, who has 29 receptions for 285 yards and two touchdowns, and junior Quan Cosby, who has 26 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown.
"Texas has two dynamic wide receivers that are not No. 4," Prince said. "There are two other young men who have emerged when it comes to receptions per game, the amount of yards and just dynamic plays that they are putting up. It makes it very very difficult." MURPHY ADDS YARDS, CHARACTER TO TEAM Prince said junior wide receiver Deon Murphy has added several elements to the team.
Murphy, who has 15 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns and also three rushes for 34 yards, is also No. 1 in the conference in punt returns. With 10 returns for 201 yards, he is averaging more than 20 yards per return. Prince said Murphy has stats like Yamon Figurs' when he was at K-State.
"This player has a lot of confidence, and he wants to play well," Prince said. "I don't think it matters to him who he's playing against.
"I like the fact that he's got personality. I like fact that he wants to play and he wants to have fun with this. He's a lot of fun to be around."
However, while Murphy might be noticeable because of his personality, Prince has noticed something else impressive.
"He's tough," he said. "He's willing to practice hard like we want people to practice. He's diligent and serious about what he's doing. He's focused on the game plan. I like that he brings some personality to the game."
WEEK OFF HELPFUL With the bye week, the players had time to rectify problems and work on recovering from injuries. Prince said both junior cornerback Ray Cheatham and senior cornerback Bryan Baldwin were back in the rotation.
"We talked a lot about the rest versus rust issue," Prince said. "I think a lot of the players' bodies thought, 'Hey, we should be playing a game this weekend.' You try to figure out and make sense of it."
Junior linebacker Reggie Walker agreed with Prince.
"I like bye weeks because of the rest and everything, but it's pretty boring," he said. "We're not doing anything. Just practicing is boring. I wish we could have played."
